An emotional support animal is a companion that brings therapeutic benefits, like mitigating or alleviating some symptoms of a disability, to an individual with a psychiatric or mental issue. ESAs are normally cats and dogs, but may also include cats and other common domesticated animals, like hamsters, hedgehogs, goats, rats, birds and teacup pigs.

If you are experiencing a disability, which involves psychological pain or illness symptoms, you should have any problem getting a doctor to sign a letter prescribing an ESA for you. You can select one of two options. The first one is rather time consuming and involves your personal doctor or practitioner. If you don’t have a personal doctor or for some reason your doctor refuses to prescribe you an ESA, you can very easily see if you qualify for a letter by using the form to the right or clicking on the the green “Free ESA Assessment” button. If you qualify, you could get your letter in less than 24 hours.

By receiving a prescription from a doctor or licensed therapist for an Emotional Support Animal, you will not have to compromise where you travel or where you live again. After you receive your official letter of ESA prescription, you will soon be on your way to living a happy, stress free life with your emotional support animal.

What Is An ESA Letter & Do You Need to Register Your Dog?

You need a prescription letter from a licensed doctor or therapist to be able to legally categorize your pet as an emotional support animal. The letter should provide documentary evidence that you are indeed suffering from a mental or emotional health issue and that having a pet as a companion will provide therapeutic benefits. However, with this letter you will be able to take your dog on airplanes without any extra fees and live in any apartment or home you want without having to pay any pet fees.

You also don’t need to “register” your emotional support dog or animal into any kind of government database. That is not legally required and unnecessary.

What the Doctor Needs: How to Get An Emotional Support Dog Letter

If you stressing about how qualifying for an ESA, the following requirements will help you understand the procedure better. If you, like a large percentage of the population of the US, are having a tough time dealing with daily activities, there is a high chance you will have no problem being approved. Typically, certain experiences and events in life can result in a decline in an individual’s mental or emotional stability, which in turn affects their everyday life. These mental disabilities include, but are not restricted to:

Depression

Anxiety

Panic attacks

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Personality Disorder

Listed below are some of the examples of various symptoms related to different emotional/mental disabilities:

Experiencing difficulty in maintaining relationships with people

Feeling continuously anxious or depressed for a couple of days or more

Developing paranoia and other irrational fears linked with otherwise normal life situations or problems

Difficulty or inability in interacting with others in public or private settings

If any of these mentioned conditions apply to you, you will easily be able to qualify for an ESA after filling out our free assessment form.

If you need an emotional support animal to help you through your symptoms of mental disability, the first thing you need to do is decided if you want to get your letter online easily or spend your day in the doctors office. Most people choose to go the easier route by getting it online, but there are certainly some individuals how would rather go into their doctors office and that’s certainly fine too.

The choice is yours – just know that either way, if you are qualified, you’ll be on your way to getting a legally enforced emotional support animal letter!

Do I Need a Specially Trained Animal?

Emotional support animals are medically and legally recognized animals that assist people with a variety of different psychological and emotional illnesses, disorders, and issues. These animals help us feel calm, brave, comforted or focused on the positive when we need it most.

This sounds like a big job for an animal, but most ESAs don’t even realize they’re doing important work. Unlike trained service dogs who have a specific job to do, emotional support animals do their work simply by keeping us company in difficult situations. If you’re considering getting an ESA but don’t want to displace your current pet or aren’t sure you have the resources to care for another animal, that’s good news. It means that you don’t need a specially trained animal and that your pet will likely be able to serve in an ESA capacity for you.

Does My Pet Qualify as an Emotional Support Animal?

The fact that your service animal doesn’t need any special skills means that you will likely qualify for an ESA letter with the pet you already have. Some people may even be able to get two animals certified as ESAs. If your dog is comfortable being out in public and you don’t plan to bring them into any situations in which they’ll experience discomfort, you’re in great shape.

Notice that we say “animal” rather than “dog.” Canine companions aren’t the only animals that can serve as your ESA. Because dogs tend to be the most popular companions to accompany people out of their homes and on various adventures, many people want to know how to get an ESA dog. But if you’re allergic to dogs or simply don’t get along with them, you have other options. You may even be a dog lover but currently have another pet, like a hamster or a ferret, that keeps you company and helps soothe your emotional responses to troubling stimuli. Even reptiles and birds can qualify, which makes it easy to get the necessary paperwork based on your personal choice of which animal is best for your emotional support needs.

Your pet can be of any age and personality. Service dogs usually need to start their training young and must be focused, determined and responsive. That’s not true of an ESA.

It’s important to note, though, that emotional support pets do have to be properly behaved to qualify. You won’t be asked too many questions about this as you apply for your ESA letter. It’s up to the owner to make this determination for themselves. ESAs are given certain rights, but they aren’t exempt from the need to behave in a polite and courteous manner in public. In most cases, though, your ESA won’t be subject to any rules an ordinary pet wouldn’t be subject to. They’ll just have the ability to go more places and do more things with you.

The difference between an ESA and a regular pet, then, isn’t breed, training, or even species. It’s the ESA prescription letter that sets support animals apart. This letter has to come from a licensed doctor or therapist, but you don’t have to have a long-term treatment relationship in order to establish that you can benefit from an ESA in your life. Your pet doesn’t need to undergo any special evaluation, either, due to the lack of training required.

This letter provides documentary evidence certifying that you have a legitimate and life-limiting health problem and that your companion animal helps to mitigate or resolve the effects of that problem. With an emotional support animal letter, you’ll be open to legal protection in a variety of different areas. From flying on airplanes to having access to more apartment or house rental options and even getting some rights to bring your ESA to work or school with you, the letter is proof that your relationship with your pet is more than just a standard companionship arrangement.

What Conditions Will ESA Doctors Recognize?

As you might have guessed, it’s your health, not your pet’s personality or training, that’s the key to how to get an emotional support animal letter. This isn’t a letter that just anyone can get, but it’s also not something that is open only to a select few. The idea behind the ESA status is that life can be difficult for people with certain mental health concerns, and this difficulty goes beyond the normal ups and downs of life, creating serious limitations on what an individual can do. If you find yourself able to face your fears or just get through the day with more comfort when you’re around your pet, which means you’re an ideal candidate for ESA status. This is a concept that’s born out of compassion for people who suffer from legitimate emotional or mental health issues, and we take a compassionate approach to helping people protect their relationship with the pets who make their lives worth living.

Anxiety, depression, PTSD and other potentially debilitating psychiatric illnesses are legitimate problems that are an undeniable part of the human experience. People who think that we can just “get over it” and move past these issues by simply deciding to do so really have no idea what they’re talking about. There’s no evidence to support the idea that it’s that easy and plenty of evidence to support that the people who suffer from personality disorders and other issues have observable neurological differences from people who don’t have the same problems. It’s like suggesting that someone with diabetes exercise some willpower to change their insulin production. If it really was that easy, no one would suffer from these problems in the first place.

The issues that ESAs are prescribed to treat or assist with are almost always psychological or emotional in nature. That’s why the word “emotional” is front and center in the name. So, if you’re wondering how to get an emotional support animal to treat a physical issue such as a sprained ankle, you may be out of luck. However, if your physical issue causes emotional symptoms, then that’s a different story. Health problems such as chronic pain or a life-threatening illness like cancer can certainly cause anxiety and depression. So that’s another important factor to keep in mind.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it gives you an idea of the common problems ESAs are prescribed to treat. You’ll discuss your emotional issue with the therapist when you start the process of getting an ESA certification letter. Examples include:• Depression• Anxiety (acute or situational, such as social anxiety)• Phobias• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)• Mood disorders• Borderline personality disorder• Agoraphobia

Note that all of these issues can cause serious problems for the way sufferers live their lives, all of which an animal can help with. For example, depression can make it hard to get out of bed in the morning, but a hungry cat isn’t likely to let you keep hitting snooze on the alarm. Anxiety can cause us to feel paralyzed by fear or distracted by the many things that can go wrong in life, but a dog that happily drops a tennis ball in your lap is likely to break the cycle of rumination.

You don’t need to have suffered from these issues from a long time, either. Our understanding of the human brain is still quite basic and there’s a long way to go in the fields of neurology and psychology before we can even scratch the surface in understanding what causes personality disorders and other issues, whether they’ve been present our whole lives or suddenly appear. Difficulties that arise as a result of a certain event are easier to pinpoint but, even then, it’s nearly impossible to explain why some people can go through the exact same experience and live with different outcomes.

With an ESA, there’s no need to try and answer these questions or get at the root cause of an issue the way we often do with psychiatric and therapeutic treatments. The benefit of an ESA is usually already a factor in your life. The letter just makes that treatment formal and legally valid.

How to Get an Emotional Support Animal Letter Online

If you’re wondering how to ask your doctor for an emotional support animal, you may feel nervous about discussing the issue or dread the response you might get from a doctor who seems too busy to really pay attention to you. Unfortunately, not all doctors understand the challenges we can face on a regular basis as a result of genuine trauma or phobias we can’t control. Many doctors have a “treat it and move on” attitude and might suggest you start taking medications rather than listening to your reasoning for wanting an ESA.

While medication can be helpful, that’s a separate part of a treatment plan and isn’t really a substitute for an ESA. When your doctor doesn’t seem inclined to listen, you can get an emotional support animal prescription letter online.

The process starts with our free evaluation questionnaire. All you have to do is answer some questions about the issue at hand. Once this evaluation is complete, you’ll get to talk to a trained therapist on the phone. The therapist will assess your information, listen to the way you describe your problems and will make a decision about your ESA letter based on what you say. Our therapists don’t have another agenda and they believe in the positive power of animals in the lives of those with emotional or psychological difficulties. The conversation is likely to be easy, friendly, and brief.

Should I Be Worried That I Won’t Qualify For A Therapy Pet?

If you have any of the life-limiting health issues described above or any other personality or emotional condition that has a demonstrable negative impact on your life, you might qualify for an ESA prescription. Here at Therapypet.org, we make it it easy to find out if you qualify. As noted above, the issue in question does not have to be completely debilitating. Many people with emotional support animals live lives that a total stranger would see as completely “normal” because the issues they live with are apparent only to them or are only a concern in specific situations.

For example, if you live in a 10th-floor apartment and suddenly have an experience that makes you terrified of your building’s elevator, chances are that this will have a very negative impact on your life. This is something an ESA can help with. Getting in the elevator with your pet by your side may make it much easier to stay calm and even to focus on the coping strategies you learn in therapy. This is only one in a whole range of potential scenarios that an ESA can help with.

All you have to do is describe your issue and talk about your pet with one of our therapists. These professionals are compassionate and eager to help. We know that an ESA animal letter can completely change the life of a person who’s being held back by circumstances out of their control. The criteria we apply to our decision are broad and make allowances for a variety of different situations. You don’t need to have a major disability such as visual impairment or a physical handicap to qualify, so don’t worry that your condition isn’t “real” or “serious” enough. The process for how to get an emotional support dog or other pet isn’t an inquisition. It’s just a discussion focused on helping you live your best life.

Ultimately, you don’t need to worry about having to jump through difficult hoops and being put through the wringer of answering probing personal questions. All you have to do is describe the ways in which your pet currently helps or could help you improve your life and mitigate painful or debilitating emotional reactions. We make it easy, with most of our clients receiving their ESA letter within 72 hours. Don’t hesitate—start your free evaluation now to get the ball rolling and formalize your medically significant relationship with your pet.

FAQ

How To Get An Emotional Support Dog

If you're wondering how you can get an emotional support dog, rest assured the process is not incredibly difficult. In order to legally be qualified to receive an ESA, you'll need to diagnosed as emotionally disabled by a certified mental health professional (therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist) that resides in the state you live in. The mental health professional will then write you an ESA letter, which is simliar to a prescription to have your emotional support with with you.

How To Get A Therapy Dog

In order to be eligible to get therapy dog, you and your canine companion must meet the following criteria:

You much be diagnosed with a mental health disability by a legally licensed therapist, psychiatrist, or psychologist that practices in your home state.

Your dog must be able to behave itself in public setting.

You must get a an ESA Letter, short for emotional support animal letter, from the mental health professional that diagnosed you with the prognosis.